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These did use up a lot of little bits of samples and odds and ends that I had from socks. I'm following the pattern but have noticed that they are not equally balanced top and bottom. You start with twenty stitches divided across two dpns and increase on the ends every other row until you are back to twenty stitches on each needle. Then you start decreasing back to ten stitches on each needle and bind off, after stuffing of course! I haven't used Judy's Magic Cast On for this, but I could see where it would be very easy to use with this project. I've purposefully kept the cast on as given so that both sides have a ridge. I guess you could also kitchener them closed, but haven't tried that yet. Is anyone else noticing this? Am I doing something wrong?
I had in my queue another pattern that would use up the leftovers, a garter square very similar to the Barn Raising Quilt pattern I've been using on my handspun yarns, this one is by DROPS. The garter stitch square gobbles up more yarn than the BR square, but has been fun to do. I have nine blocks done as of today, the last one hadn't been blocked, but I wanted to get pics:
In fact the just finished block, upper right hand one, was using some leftover ShibuiKnits yarn in Wisteria colorway and I found that I had a moth problem. ACK! I found that larvae had nibbled their way out of the yarn and I was left with long and short pieces. So I pieced them as best as I could and finished the block and threw away what was leftover. Oddly, I don't remember seeing any moths in the house. It has reinforced my desire to knit the rest of the bag up. Luckily my odds and ends were being stored in a ziplock bag in my sock bin. I need to double check that there is a cedar block/ball in the big bin and that all of my other bins do indeed have cedar in them.
I have a desire to get some other projects done, but kind of have this ball rolling on the blocks and puffs. The other bits don't seem like they've been nibbled on, so hopefully it was just this one poor ball, but you know what I'll be doing for a bit. I think things will do their own kind of change up project wise after September Crown. I do want to try to get a couple projects done for that, may be knitted or sewn, we'll see.
What do you do with your leftover sock yarn, or really any weight yarn? I have another gallon ziplock bag with worsted odds and ends that I suspect will become another blanket project, maybe that mitered squares, or I really like the idea of the Log Cabin which is a take off on the Fussy Cut. Which do you think I should choose?
I love the little hexies, but I know I would never have it in me to do an entire blanket of them, especially in fingering weight yarn.
ReplyDeleteMy worsted weight leftovers usually end up being knit into teaching samples, either the beginnings of projects, or else a swatch that we torture for Tink Drop Frog.
I'm a sucker for the log cabin blanket; I love mine. The original plan was for it to be a stash-buster project, using up leftover yarn, but then I ran out of yarn and had to buy more! So much for stash busting.
I only skimmed the mitered squares, but are they all attached as you go? That could get really heavy to tote around as it grows. I like the log cabin squares that are portable. You'd only have to have all the weight at the end while you're joining and finishing.
Looking at the mitered squares pattern more closely, it does knit up in rows. So you have to have your colors planned. Ugh, that's not what I want to do! So does look like the log cabin with its portability and flexibility will win out. It will stay a stashbusting project as I don't mind if it goes into hibernation if I've knit up all my odds and ends. I figure I'll have more become available as I knit through the rest of my stash.
DeleteUnlike you, I do have a stash! ;-) So why I'm trying to knit my way through it and coming up with projects like these that use up the leftovers.